Peter Pan Returns
by Miss Luna Clipse
Summary: After five years, Peter Pan returns to the Darling house to take Wendy on another amazing adventure. Having made an incredible sacrifice for Wendy, their mere childhood crush grows into something stronger. However, a lurking enemy and a tough decision stands in the way of everything Peter and Wendy have fought for.
1. Almost Grown

**Peter Pan Returns**

_By Calista Faye Seitz_

**Status: **Incomplete

**Rated: **T - For mild violence and some intense moments

**Genre: **Fantasy/Romance/Adventure

**Main Characters: **Wendy and Peter

**Main Place: **Neverland

**Time: **Five years after the live-action 2003 version of Peter Pan

**Summary:** After five years, Peter Pan returns to the Darling house to take Wendy on another amazing adventure. Having made an incredible sacrifice for Wendy, their mere childhood crush grows into something stronger. However, a lurking enemy and a tough decision stands in the way of everything Peter and Wendy have fought for.

1. Almost Grown

Wendy gazed at the large mirror with a weary expression. It was her sixteenth birthday. She was a mere two years away from Growing Up, something she dreaded. She shuddered, just as her best friend once had five years before at the same concept. She sighed as his face filled her mind once more. His bright, handsome, _young_ face. This thought also made her cringe. The fact that as she grew, he remained just short of a teenager. Forever.

She glared at her reflection, at her face having lost all childish plumpness, her body recently stripped of remaining baby fat.  
Her hair was longer, reaching nearly the small of her back in smooth chestnut curls. She felt herself flinch at the sight of the slight, unwelcoming swell of breast she had obtained recently, protruding subtly from her blue silk nightgown. She looked like a common Grown Up.

But her eyes still shone a wondering sky blue, her cheeks constantly flushed red through her small sprinkle of freckles, her thoughts subconsciously crawling with adventure and curiosity. She was still a child on the inside, at least.

"Ridiculous," she muttered, "You'll always be a kid. No matter what." Still, her eyebrows were pinched together, concerned. She turned to face her bedroom. It was too large. Too spacious. Too _lonely._ But of course that was ridiculous. She could hear her brother's voices as they prepared for bed in the room right next door to her own. They were a mere closed door away. But having her own room made her anxious nonetheless. She sat on her bed, beneath the thin blue canopy that roofed it, and ran her fingers over the blue satin, the ivory lace, the pillows decorated with clouds. It was all so girly, so mature. So_ Grown Up_.

She laid back in bed, ignoring the covers. It was far too hot for them anyways. She looked over at her balcony doors. She had subconsciously drawn the yellow curtains aside to reveal her quaint and vine-wrapped balcony. She didn't know why. She raised her head slightly to look at the sky above, and saw, with a startling pang in her heart, the two large, twinkling stars, more prominent than the dim ones around them, the second one shining brightest.

_ Second star to the right, straight on 'till morning. _That's_ Neverland, Wendy._

She shook her head and, with a huff, tossed her blankets over her, turning on her side facing away from the window. Eventually, the thin walls that allowed her brothers laughter to be heard grew silent as everyone else fell asleep, and Wendy eventually joined them, yearning desperately for the one she missed rather terribly.

Peter Pan.


	2. Peter's Sacrifice

2. Peter's Sacrifice

Peter glided through the soft spring air, past the golden glow of the Big Ben, past the small homes that resembled gingerbread houses, over the town square with the fountains and shops, and towards the place he had visited only thrice in the past five years, and rather anonymously. He had visited once every other year to listen to a few of Wendy's stories (He had hidden outside the glass of the window, not wanting to disturb her storytelling, which was always about him) and all had been fine. She was the same old Wendy.

But the last time he had visited, something had changed. Wendy was taller. Her hair had grown longer, her face and body were thinner, and there were slight curves to her that Peter had only seen on Grown Ups before. Even her voice had changed, was a bit deeper, though it was still laced with her kind and gentle tone.

This sudden burst of age frightened Peter, and he found he couldn't bear the thought of revealing his presence when he appeared so much younger. But his longing to see her, converse with her, and (though his face flushed red and he denied himself the wanting of the wish each time he thought of it) perhaps receive another "thimble" was enough to make him feel the need for desperate measure.

A few weeks earlier, he had sent his trusted and minuscule companion, Tinkerbell, to the large oak tree she and many other faeries resided in to request a special potion from the Head Faerie. Peter being good friends with him, The Head Faerie gave it to Tinkerbell kindly. It was an Age Potion, and, depending on the amount, would make you appear to be whatever age you wished to be forever, unless taking another potion to change it. Peter had asked for a potion that would give him the appearance of a common sixteen year old.

The change had been slightly painful, as his bones stretched and his voice deepened, but it was nothing compared to the overwhelming hurt that flooded him when he saw the effects. He was older, obviously, taller and with the slightest ripple of youthful muscle, but he was undoubtedly still himself. His honey colored hair still curled around his pointed ears, framing his elfin face. His adventurous, mischievous green eyes still shone brightly through a frame of long eyelashes. He had hardly changed.

Now, as he stepped gracefully onto the balcony of Wendy's old bedroom, he had grown a bit more used to his own height and difference. He pressed his nose against the window, Tinkerbell's faint glow highlighting the excited grin on his older face.

His face fell when he saw his beloved Lost Boys, Wendy's siblings, but no Wendy. Confused, he backed away from the apartment and peered into the window to the left of that one. It showed her parents sleeping soundly. He frantically flew to the window to the right, and exhaled in relief when he saw her unmistakable long light-brown hair.

He looked down at himself self-consciously, wrapped in the same vines and ivy as before, and attempted to straighten his wind-tousled hair before tapping softly on the window.


	3. Reunited

3. Reunited

Wendy, being a rather light sleeper, sat up immediately upon hearing the startling sound. She turned her head sharply to look at her window, and saw a bright floating ball, resembling a firefly, hovering just behind the glass. And beside it, an unidentifiable silhouette against the moonlight.  
She inhaled sharply in fear, and stood, trembling, reaching for the umbrella that leaned against her rocking chair, brandishing it threateningly. "Who's there?" she whispered sharply, staring at the figure. The double doors opened slowly, and in stepped...

The umbrella fell to the carpeted floor with a soft thud. Wendy watched, open-mouthed, as Peter Pan shyly stepped through her balcony doors and stood, hands behind his back, head ducked bashfully, a few feet away from her.  
"P– Peter?" she breathed, stepping forward curiously. Cautiously, she placed a gentle hand beneath his chin, lifting his face, making his green eyes meet her blue ones. Those were _his_ eyes. She remembered them easily.

"Oh, Peter!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly. Peter blinked, before the shock wore off and his arms were around her in one blurred movement. He buried his face in her shoulder, blinking furiously to keep away the tears he refused to believe were threatening him.

"Hi Wendy." he managed to croak, dazed.

She pulled away, keeping her hands on his shoulders, and smiled up at his face, tears streaming down her glowing cheeks. "Hi!" she laughed, hurriedly wiping at her damp cheeks and sniffling to clear her nose. "Sorry, I'm a bit... emotional." She fluttered her hands to emphasize this, and looked down at him. Suddenly, her eyebrows pinched together.

"What's wrong?" Peter asked, noticing this. Wendy placed a hand on his chest, then his shoulder, then his cheek, examining him with the same expression on her face. "Why, Peter," she said, "What have you done? How did you..." She trailed off, looking at him expectantly.

"I used an Age Potion." he explained hurriedly, "I– it was for you. You're all– all almost Grown Up now and I figured–"

"You did this for _me_?" she said, startled, looking up at him, not used to his height. He nodded, suddenly wondering if that had been the right thing to do. Her face broke into a small smile. "That is the _kindest_ thing anyone has ever done for me." she breathed, embracing him once more. He sighed in relief and again, hugged her back, this time without hesitation.

He tried to speak, and was irritated at his lack of vocal abilities. His shock in seeing his old friend after so much time was rendering him speechless. Usually, he was rather clever, witty, and outgoing. Today, he cleared his throat nervously.

"Say... say Wendy," he began, and she pulled away and looked at him jubilantly, curiously awaiting his question. Peter grinned back at her, her ease giving him confidence. "I think... I'd like... a thimble." he said matter-of-factly.

She looked at him and laughed. "Alright?" she said, turning to her dresser and plucking a small metal object from her drawer and handing it out to him. He stared at it blankly. "That's a kiss," he said, confused, "I want a thimble. Like before."

Realization dawned on Wendy's face, and she flushed. "Oh," she murmured, "You mean _that _thimble."

He nodded, and she stepped forward, keeping her eyes locked with his, before standing up on her tiptoes and leaning towards him. Gently, she brushed her lips against his, placing both hands on his ivy-wrapped chest. A shudder went through Peter, just as one had the last time she had given him a thimble, but this time it was a bit drawn out. And Peter was fine with that.

He placed his hands lightly on her waist and moved his lips along with hers. It was an odd thing, what thimbles did to your heartbeat. It thumped and sped and even stopped sometimes. No wonder Grown Ups always did this.

When Wendy pulled away, Peter's whole face was glowing. She laughed, and stepped back from him, prepared for what was coming next. Peter seemed to be blown backward off his feet and out the window, where he fell backward off the balcony.

Laughing brightly, Wendy ran to the railing and peered over, where Peter sailed to the ground, back facing the hard cement, grinning widely the whole way. He stopped just short of the street below, and slowly floated back upward, hands behind his head, eyes closed serenely, sighing.  
"You truly are strange, Peter." Wendy said, taking his hand as he straightened himself and stood back on the balcony. He grinned mischievously. "So is Neverland," he said, his tone excited, "Come back with me Wendy."

Wendy's eyebrows came together once more, and she looked back through the open double doors into her empty bedroom, hesitating.  
Peter, sensing her uncertainty, stepped closer to her from behind. His lips were centimeters from her left ear.

"Forget them Wendy. Forget them all," he whispered softly into her ear, and a wave of déjà vu overcame her and made her smile, "Run away to Neverland with me, and I swear you'll never, ever have to grow up ever again."

She stared ahead for a moment, before turning her head to face him and kissing him once more. They stood there like that, lips locked, hands intertwined, and dreading the moment when they had to break away.

Meanwhile, Tinkerbell grew impatient. She tugged at Peter's ear, and he brushed her away, still not breaking away from Wendy. Tinkerbell glowed crimson and began pummeling the two with fistfuls of sparkling golden dust with irritation. Wendy nor Peter noticed their feet leave the ground. It wasn't until they were twenty feet above the apartment that Wendy broke away from Peter with a gasp, looking below her at her minuscule home.

"I'm– I'm _flying _again!" she exclaimed breathlessly, still awfully fluttery from the two "thimbles" she and Peter had just exchanged. She laughed gleefully and allowed herself to fall backward, sailing to the ground, before swooping back upward and taking Peter's hand.

Peter grinned at her, and pointed at the sky with his free hand. "There's Neverland," he told her, "Second star to the right–"

"Straight on 'till morning." Wendy finished for him, and Peter looked at her, his smile growing even wider.

Together, they soared upward. Flying was old and familiar for Peter, but for Wendy it was just like new. As before, she did cartwheels and flips through the rushing wind, gazing down at her sleeping town.

She gently landed on the minute hand of the Big Ben, and Peter joined her, and for the third time that day, Wendy gave him yet another thimble, on the cheek this time, causing him to blush red. Tinkerbell fluttered around them, excited to return to her home.

As Wendy hugged her best friend in front of the warm glow of the large clock, she realized that she could never go another second without her wonderful Lost Boy again.


	4. The Cracked Heart

4. The Cracked Heart

Wendy woke, but didn't open her eyes. She refused to believe that what had happened last night was a dream. But it didn't seem likely that it was real. She felt like crying, angry at her mind for giving her such a wonderful, such a _realistic_ dream, a dream about flying and laughing and thimbles...

She sat up, her heart sinking to her feet, and opened her eyes. She gasped in surprise at the room in front of her. It wasn't hers. She was sitting on a rather large cot, covered in soft furs and velvet petals and smooth leaves. The floor was covered in more furs, and there were a few doorways covered with dark brown curtains. Vines and flowers clung to the walls and dangled from the ceiling in thick, short ropes.

There was a large canopy in the corner opposite her, and there Peter slept in fetal position, one arm dangling out of the hangings. He snored softly, a few light curls covering his brow.

Again, Wendy was a bit startled at his appearance, his age. She stood and walked over to him. He was all but a man now, no doubt. This made Wendy feel a bit upset, before realizing something. Sure, he appeared to be in his late teens. But he spoke as a child would. He played as a child would. Even now, as he slept, he looked like a mere boy.

She thought of the very un-childish kisses they had shared the night before, and felt the corners of her mouth lift. He was a child, as well as a man. A perfect combination, Wendy thought.

She didn't want to wake him, but she wanted rather badly to speak with him, to explore the land with him, to catch up on the five-year separation they both had to endure.

She paced around, examining the room, before stepping on something smooth, round, and extremely small. It was perhaps the size of her thumb-nail. It left a slight indent in the soft flesh of her foot, and she cried out in pain, lifting her foot immediately and picking up the hard object. It was a vial, missing its cork and completely empty.

Just as she was raising it to her eyes for closer examination, Tinkerbell flit daintily from a small hole in the wall, stretching and yawning. She made a soft tinkling sound at the sight of Wendy, and sat on her shoulder, looking up at her. The last time Wendy had visited, Tinkerbell had grown incredibly envious towards her, but all hard feelings had faded, now that Peter was in better shape after the extended separation.

"What's this, Tink?" Wendy asked, showing her the teeny vial. Tinkerbell looked at it with recognition and gestured with her hands, pointing first at the floor, then at the ceiling. Wendy understood. "This was the potion that made Peter grow." Wendy murmured, sitting back on the cot.

She set the bottle down and crossed her arms, confused. "Why did he do it, Tink?" Wendy asked her, staring straight ahead, looking thoughtful and puzzled at the same time. Tinkerbell rolled her eyes and pointed at Wendy, as though it were the most obvious answer in the world.

Wendy laughed lightly. "He said he did it for me." she murmured, "But it's such a huge sacrifice, don't you think? I mean, I'm just a girl..."

Tinkerbell glared at Wendy as someone would look at a crazy person. She placed her hands on her chest, before drawing an invisible X on her sparkly turquoise dress, over her heart.

When Wendy stared at her blankly, Tinkerbell gave a silent sigh and flew over to where Peter slept. Wendy followed, and watched as the small fairy pushed aside the vine that was wrapped diagonally around Peter's torso, exposing the left side of his chest. There was a large scar in the jagged shape of an X over his heart.

Wendy gasped. "His... his heart broke." she breathed, and gently brushed the fading scar with her fingertips. Tinkerbell nodded, pointing at Peter's chest, then pointing at Wendy. "Because of– because of me?" Wendy said, staring at Peter's sleeping face. Tinkerbell nodded, looking satisfied at her own successful communication.

Wendy shook her head. "But he could have visited me whenever he wanted!" Wendy exclaimed, "I wouldn't have minded." Tink bowed her head, looking sorrowful. She again pointed at her own feet, then up at the sky. "It's because I Grew Up." Wendy said softly, looking down, "He didn't want to feel... different from me, I suppose."

Tinkerbell nodded, smiling once more. Wendy kept the same expression. "But... I'll have to _really_ Grow Up someday. I mean, I'll be turning eighteen in two years. What then?"

Tinkerbell was trying to think of a way to respond when Peter suddenly stirred, mumbling. He sat up, and stretched, groaning, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Hi Wendy." he said through a yawn, before his own words really hit him. His face lit up, his eyes widening. "Wendy!" he exclaimed, and was out of the canopy in seconds, hugging her tightly, lifting both of them from the ground temporarily.

Wendy couldn't help but grin at his enthusiasm, and her worried thoughts were momentarily pushed from her mind. "Where do you want to go first?" he asked, pulling away from her and landing them both on the ground. Wendy shrugged.

"You decide." she said, smiling expectantly, "where's your favorite place to go?"

Peter didn't even have to think. He took her hand and they both shot upward, through a small hole in the ceiling recently covered with a large fur curtain.

"You're going to love this." Peter told her, giving her a soft peck on the cheek, as they flew over the breathtaking landscape that was Neverland.


	5. A New Enemy From the Past

5. A New Enemy From the Past

It was all as Wendy vividly remembered it. Her heart swelled at each sight, each sound. She felt a little sad that she couldn't bring all her brothers back with her, but she planned on bringing them out for a visit some other time. Right now, Wendy was rather pleased to have Peter to herself.

"Where are you taking me?" she called eagerly to Peter, who was a few feet ahead of her, leading her to an unknown destination. Peter grinned at her and fell back a little so they were side by side.

"I go there when I'm in an incredibly good mood or an extremely bad one." he said, "And I promise, it will take your breath away."

She smiled at him, feeling giddy and excited, and they soared over the beauty of Neverland for another five minutes.

They reached a waterfall, surrounded by a dark blue pond and many rocks. Peter gestured for her to stop on the rock closest to the large, violently crashing waterfall.

Wendy's chin dropped in disbelief as Peter easily stepped through the heavy tons of falling water, before being submerged completely.

Realizing she had to do the same, she took a deep breath, squeezed her eyes shut, and ducked her head beneath the water, prepared to be squished down to a pulp.

Instead, the water left her standing straight, and it felt as though there were many fans pleasantly pointed at her from above. She walked out to the other side, and gasped.

They were in a small cave, crystal clear and smooth to the touch. Soft velvet grass tickled Wendy's feet, and wildflowers grew in small bunches here and there.

At the mouth of the cave was where the water began. It was a gorgeous green-blue, and so clear you could see the nearby bottom, where brightly coloured corals grew and glimmering fish swam.

Around that small body of water was more lovely grass and flowers, as well as trees that surrounded the place like a wall, their branches curved majestically and their leaves every colour of the rainbow. The only thing that kept Wendy believing that this wasn't a totally different place from the rest of Neverland was the sky, which was still the same blue, cloud-strewn bowl above their heads.

"Peter," she gasped, taking a few steps forward and dipping her smallest finger into the water, watching the ripples, "It's beautiful."

"You're beautiful." he replied, before turning a violent shade of vermilion "That– that was my Grown-Up mind." he mumbled hurriedly, mentally setting himself on fire.

Wendy smirked playfully at him and surprised him by punching his shoulder. "That potion didn't affect your brain, and you know it." she whispered to him with a grin, before kissing his cheek, turning on heel, and leaping into the water, leaving Peter sputtering and babbling in shock.

Wendy resurfaced, spouting water from her mouth like a fountain statue, and looked expectantly at Peter. "The water's wonderful!" she laughed, splashing him with water, "Come on!"

Peter stared at her blankly for a moment, then his face broke into a smile as he joined her, and they both dove down into the crystalline water, weaving through the many corals.

When they both resurfaced, gasping for air, Wendy felt as though her heart would burst, she could hardly control her glee. Peter was feeling the same as he looked at the glowing girl beside him, darkened hair clinging to her damp face, blue dress pluming out around her knees in the water, eyes shining brightly against the water droplets on her eyelashes.

He found it a bit hard to breath correctly as he looked at her, and, victim of his gaze, Wendy's heart was becoming as fluttery as a moth's wing. "Peter?" she said, still unable to look away.

Peter didn't answer, but Wendy knew what was coming next. She leaned in along with him, closing her eyes.

"Oi! Lost boy!"

Wendy and Peter jumped, breaking away from each-other and looking up towards the voice in surprise.

It was a girl, looking maybe sixteen, standing on a nearby tree branch with both hands on her hips, sneering down at the two. A small sparkling violet ball hovered beside her ear.

"Charlotte." Peter growled, and Wendy gasped in surprise as Peter grabbed her hand and rushed her back to shore to the mouth of the crystal cave, before taking a protective stance in front of her.

The girl giggled nasally and hopped down gracefully from the tree, before soaring back into the air and darting over to the two of them, hovering above the calm water. _She could fly too. _Her eyes widened slightly as she got a better look at Peter.

"Hello Peter." Charlotte said, raising her eyebrows and smirking, "Look at you. Don't you look... dashing. Decided to grow up, I take it?"

Peter glared at her and didn't answer, and Charlotte shrugged. She didn't seem to notice Wendy at all.

"I'm not used to seeing you so... like this." Charlotte continued, eyeing him up and down, "_Very_ attractive, don't you think Willow?" The violet ball at her side, who upon closer examination Wendy noticed was actually a faerie, twinkled in agreement.

"Go away, Charlotte." Peter snapper through grit teeth, and Charlotte brought a heavily-ringed finger to her chest with mock offense.

"Are you going to refuse to tell me why you're so tall? Why you're so_ handsome_? Why this girl is cowering behind you?"

Before Peter could protest, Charlotte darted behind him to where Wendy stood and placed a hand beneath her chin, examining her face skeptically. "Well, aren't you pretty," she purred, placing a hand on her shoulder with a vice-like grip, "I suppose you're the girl Peter's been moping about for the past couple of years?"

She grinned nastily and tightened her grip on Wendy's shoulder, digging her nails through the thin silk of her nightgown and into her flesh, making her wince.

Peter grabbed Charlotte's wrist tightly, tearing it from Wendy's shoulder. "Get away from her, Charlotte." he snarled, throwing her hand away from him with disgust and putting Wendy protectively behind him once more.

Charlotte rolled her glimmering grey eyes and tossed her thick ebony hair behind her back. "Alright, darling, I'll leave," she said with mock affection, placing a hand tenderly on his chest, running her fingers greedily over the subtle ripples of muscle, "I'll see you later, _Loverboy_. Watch your back."

She smiled, batting her heavily-lined eyelids, and shot into the sky, her faerie following her.

Peter scowled up at the sky as she disappeared, and sighed, looking down at his chest, where there was a subtle pink outline of Charlotte's hand. He touched it lightly, and winced. Her hand had burned a temporary imprint into his skin.

"Peter, who was that?" Wendy asked, terribly confused. Peter turned to look at her, and his expression softened.

"Charlotte." he said bitterly, and Wendy was startled to see all his childish fun had vanished and was replaced by somber worry.

"Who is Charlotte?" she said, placing a hand on his shoulder to make him face her.

He hesitated for a moment. Finally, he turned so he was completely facing her, before bowing his head.

"She's Captain Hook's niece."


	6. Charlotte

6. Charlotte

Wendy seemed unable to speak. She cleared her throat numerous times, clutching her shoulder where Charlotte had grabbed her.

"He's got a– he's got a _niece?_" she choked, feeling awfully dizzy. Peter placed both hands on her shoulders to steady her. She hadn't noticed she was swaying slightly. "Is she... is she bad too?"

"Yeah." he said calmly, "But she's nothing for you to worry about. She keeps to herself."

Wendy looked up at him, not very assured. "She's a bit like you." she said, remembering Charlotte's fur skirt, her ivy shirt, her bare feet. She even had a fairy to help her fly.

Peter was shocked, and even a little offended. "Wendy, I'm _nothing_ like her." he insisted, "She's bad news. I'm not like her. Really."

Wendy stared at his green eyes, and nodded. She sat down, suddenly cold despite the warm sun, and clutched her knees to her chest. "What's her story?" she asked, and Peter sat beside her, looking into the water. "Who is she?"

Peter sighed. "Captain Hook had a brother," he said, tossing a pebble into the still pond, "Jeffrey, or George, I don't remember. Just as ugly as him, too. He hated him. They never spoke. They got in a lot of fights and stuff. His brother was always after me and my Lost Boys. He wanted a good crew, to make Hook jealous. We constantly had to escape him.

"One day he actually invaded Tinkerbell's village. It's in an enchanted oak tree, you see, through a small hole at the base. He actually tried to make his daughter, Charlotte, go in there and get the faeries to harvest their pixie dust. He wanted to have the ability to fly so he could successfully attack Hook.

"Charlotte, who was three, really did try. I guess she really wanted to seem like a Grown Up to impress her dad or something. But of course the hole was far too small, so her father basically disowned her right there.

"He tried hacking down the tree with his sword, but me and My Lost Boys had gotten there just in time to... um... stop him. He's not around anymore."

Wendy saw the corners of his mouth twitch, as though he was trying not to smile. "What'd you do?" she asked, trying not to grin herself, "Did it involve a crocodile too?"

"No," Peter said simply, "It involved mermaids." He bowed his head in an effort to cover the laughter that had erupted from him. "That was a good day.

"Anyways, Charlotte had disappeared. We couldn't find her anywhere. A couple years later, we found her. She lived in the woods next to ours, and had befriended a few of what we call the 'Faeries Gone Wrong.'

"Faeries can be evil?" Wendy asked, amazed.

Peter nodded. "Everything has its good and bad." he murmured. "And one thing was for sure, Charlotte was_ bad_. She wanted to Grow Up to be a teenager. She swore she'd stay seventeen forever. She's been that age for years now."

"Just like you." Wendy said softly.

Peter shook his head fiercely. "I'm _not_ like her. She hurts people. She tried to hurt my Lost Boys. She even tried to hurt Tinkerbell."

"Did she ever try to hurt you?" Wendy said softly, placing a hand over his.

"No." he said, "She– I think she really liked me or something. She tried to make me Grow Up with her. She wanted us to be teenagers together forever. I refused. Nobody's ever going to make _me_ grow up."

"You grew up for me." Wendy whispered.

Peter looked at her. "Of course I did Wendy." he said, "I'd do anything for you." He flushed red and cleared his throat. "I suppose now that I have Grown Up for someone that's not her, she's a bit... angry."

"Will she... be a problem later?" Wendy asked, feeling a terrified pang in her heart.

Peter avoided her gaze. "I'm not sure," Peter murmured,

"But if she will, she'll be after you."


	7. Happy Thoughts

7. Happy Thoughts

"Wendy, are you all right?" Peter asked, sitting beside her. They were back in the forest, in Peter's tree. Though she had dried off long ago, she still felt cold.

"I'm fine." she told him, managing a weak smile.

Peter didn't believe her for a second. "Are you still worried about Charlotte?" he said, brushing a strand of hair from her face.

She sighed, and nodded. "I don't know what it is." she mumbled, "She just gives me a bad feeling. I feel as though she froze my heart a bit." She laughed softly at this, looking down in embarrassment. "But that's ridiculous, isn't it?"

"Of course not." Peter insisted, repositioning himself so that he sat on his knees, "Hook used to make me feel that way too. Like he just sucked all the happiness out of me."

"And yet you still fought him." Wendy muttered, irritated at her own fear, "_Numerous_ times."

Peter chuckled. "That's because I thought of happy things. Like when you need to fly. You'd be surprised what you can do when you have happy thoughts.

This reassured her enough, and she smiled at him. "You're right." she said, "This is _Neverland. _There's no room for unhappy thoughts."

Peter returned her smile. "That's the spirit, Lost Girl." he said, placing one hand on her shoulder and yawning into the other.

Wendy placed her head on his shoulder, rubbing her eyes. She'd been here only a day and she already felt in danger. But right then, laying on a soft cot, wearing dry furs, and having the arms of her best friend wrap around her, she felt as safe as could be.

"Good night Wendy." Peter managed through another yawn as they both leaned back against the piles of blankets and leaves.

"Goodnight." she said into his chest, and fell asleep almost immediately.


	8. The Uninvited Sandman

8. The Uninvited Sandman

Charlotte scowled down at them in disgust. They were both on their sides, facing each other. She flipped her jet black hair irritably and leaned over them, clutching a vial in her left hand full of what appeared to be some kind of glitter.

"I'll take you for the years of rejection..." she said casually, pouring half of the contents of the bottle over Peter, where it plumed out for a moment before landing lightly and covering his body, "and I'll take _you _for being the reason for it." She tipped the vial until the bottom pointed at the sky, coating Wendy with the same dust.

Immediately, their breathing got slower as their sleep deepened.

"Thanks for the Sleeping Sand, Willow." Charlotte said, sneering, and Willow twinkled happily, her deep purple glow the only source of light in the room.

"Now get some Pixie Dust on them so we can get them out of here easier."

There was a sudden sharp tinkling sound, and Tinkerbell came zooming out of a hole in the wall. She shook her fist angrily at them, a series of angry wind chime-like sounds erupting from her mouth.

Charlotte laughed. "Darling, I'd stop the yelling if you don't want me to say Those Forbidden Words." Charlotte grinned, and put a hand to her ear, waiting for Tinkerbell to go silent. When she didn't, Charlotte shrugged. "Alright, if you'd like to have it that way, then I guess there's no such thing as fa–"

Tinkerbell silenced herself immediately, and Charlotte stopped mid-sentence, smirking smugly. She grabbed the faerie by the hair and raised her over the deeply-sleeping Peter and Wendy, shaking her violently so that sparkling dust cascaded down over them.

Charlotte tossed the weakened Tinkerbell away, satisfied as Peter and Wendy began floating towards the ceiling. Charlotte carefully tied a bit of rope to both of their ankles, before tying the other ends to the belt loops of her brown skirt.

"Alright Willow," Charlotte said, securing the knots, "let's go."

With a gleeful laugh, she shot up through the hole in the ceiling, trailed by her faerie and the two oblivious sleeping hostages.

Her light a little bit dimmer, Tinkerbell lifted her head off the ground wearily, wincing at the pain of her hair being pulled and the soreness of the impact after being thrown to the floor. She stood up slowly, regaining her strength. She scowled up at the hole in the ceiling and shot upward through it.

She had to save Peter and Wendy.


	9. Kidnapped

9. Kidnapped

Wendy stirred, and tried to stretch, but something was holding her arms back.

Her eyes snapped open and she looked around at her surroundings, a look of shock and confusion crossing her face. She was strapped to a board, bound by ropes. Her eyes fell upon Peter, who was still unconscious, strapped to the board right beside hers.

"Peter!" she screamed, terrified, "Peter, wake up!"

He didn't even stir. "He can't hear you, you know," a nasal female voice snickered, stepping into the dim beam of light. It was Charlotte, accompanied by her purple fairy, Willow. "He's still under the influence of Sleeping Sand." She sighed in mock sorrow, brushing a few curls from his sleeping face with the back of her hand. "How unfortunate, seeing as he won't be awake during the fun."

Wendy whimpered in terror as Charlotte advanced on her, a wooden dagger in her right hand, grinning maliciously.


	10. The Minuscule Superhero

10. The Minuscule Superhero

Peter groaned and opened his eyes groggily. He was in a dim room, the only source of light being a small beam of sunshine coming from a hole in the ceiling.

He tried to sit up, and was pulled back down by ropes. He was tied up.

He grunted with frustration as he struggled, turning his head from side to side as he pulled at the ropes around his wrists, ankles, and chest. That's when he saw Wendy, on a similar board on his right side, unconscious.

She was bleeding.

"Wendy!" he shouted, slamming himself against the board in a desperate and futile attempt to escape the ropes.

After a few moments of this, he had pretty much given up, sore and breathing hard. He closed his eyes and felt the sting of tears in his eyes.

He laid there like that for perhaps thirty seconds, on the verge of doing what he hated most in the world; Crying. Then he heard a tinkling, bell-like sound.

"Tink?" he whispered, raising his head, and a little ball of yellow light appeared beside him. Tinkerbell grinned jubilantly at him. "Tink!" he exclaimed, watching her flit around him in a circle once in excitement before landing on the rope that tied his torso to the board.

He watched as she reached into a small black satchel she had tied around her waist, and pulled some violet dust from it, sprinkling it over the knot. It untied itself immediately. She did this to the other three, and Peter sat up, flexing his wrists.

"Wendy." he choked, sprinting over to her, and watching Tink sprinkle the same dust over Wendy's knots. He lifted her up gingerly, examining her face. There were a few thin slashes on random areas on her face, but that seemed to be it.

He attempted to fly, and failed. "Wha...?" he gasped, hopping up feebly and falling back to the ground. "I don't understand, Tink, could you...?"

Tinkerbell nodded, and threw a few handfuls of Pixie Dust on him.

It did nothing.

"Tink, I– I can't fly!" he exclaimed, terrified. Tinkerbell's mouth dropped, and for one frightful second she wondered if maybe his age was affecting his power. Then she realized, with a sigh of relief, the real problem, and pointed to her own head.

"A happy thought." Peter whispered to himself, squeezing his eyes shut. "I need a happy thought." Tinkerbell watched him struggle for a moment. Then, almost hesitantly, his feet gently left the floor.

He sighed in relief. "C'mon Tink," Peter said softly, "Lets get her back to the tree and get something for her cuts."

...

Wendy opened her eyes, wincing at the sunlight that streamed through the window, and looked right up into Peter's worried green ones.

"Wendy?" Peter murmured, brushing her forehead with the back of his hand, "are you feeling okay?"

Wendy nodded feebly, and lifted a hand to touch her own face. It was smooth and unscathed. She looked questioningly at Peter.

"You'd be surprised what you can do with faerie magic." Peter said, smiling, and Tinkerbell fluttered into Wendy's view, nodding in agreement. He held out a hand, and Wendy took it, standing and leaning against Peter for support. She was still incredibly weak.

"Peter, she's crazy." Wendy croaked, and cleared her throat, making her voice a bit stronger, "She's jealous or something, I don't know. One moment, she's after you, then she's after me, then she says she's after..."

He watched as Wendy's mouth opened in horror. "Peter!" she exclaimed, "She's after John and Michael! She's after my brothers!"

Peter stared at her blankly. "Who?"


	11. The Lie That Held Truth

11. The Lie That Held Truth

Charlotte landed on the center balcony with grace, peering through the glass doors. There were eight beds lined side-by-side against the wall.

She grinned at Willow, and opened the double doors, leaping in and landing on the floor lightly. She stood there for a moment, wanting to wake up the children but not wanting to wake up their parents.

Finally, she shrugged, and brought two fingers to her lips and blew, whistling loudly. They all sat up so abruptly, it was almost synchronized.

"Who's there?" John called groggily, turning on his lamp and putting on his glasses. Charlotte rearranged her features so that she appeared as Peter usually did, fun and adventurous.

"Hi, I'm Carol!" she said, making her voice as bright and cheerful as possible, "I just _love _adventure!"

Willow brought her palm to her face. Charlotte was overdoing it a bit.

Michael hopped off of his bed. "Hey, you've got a faerie!" he exclaimed, pointing at Willow, who glared at him with distaste, "Just like... Just like Peter Pan! Do you know him?"

Five of The Lost Boys leaped from their bed at the sound of Peter's name, and grinned at her. Tootles, however, stared at her, a look of confusion on his face.

"I do!" Charlotte said, "He and I are _totally_ the_ bestest_ of best friends." She smiled brightly, and winced a bit. She couldn't keep this up too long. "I'm here to take you back to Neverland!"

John and Michael gasped, The Lost Boys cheered, and Tootles squinted at her skeptically.

"Now you fellas pack up," Charlotte said, "And I'll be back in a moment."

They all rushed to their closets to grab satchels and bags, chattering excitedly, and Charlotte crept out the bedroom door into the hallway. She found the door marked _Wendy_ in curly letters and stepped inside, keeping the door ajar behind her.

"Say Tootles, where ya goin'?" Curly called, and Tootles turned from the open door.

"Doesn't she look a bit familiar to you?" Tootles said. Curly shrugged and continued to pack. Tootles turned back to the door and walked into the hallway. Wendy's door was open a little. He quietly peeked through the small crack.

"Stop laughing at me," Charlotte was saying to Willow, who was shaking with giggles, "Carol was the best name I could come up with." She rifled through Wendy's dresser drawers.

"Does this girl have _any_ makeup?" she whined, sighing in disgust and throwing random objects behind her, "It's all just sewing stuff and drawing paper and... what is _this_ trash?" She held up a small acorn, and didn't notice the tiny "P" written on it with a heart drawn around it.

She tossed it aside and turned to Willow. "All well," she muttered, "Perhaps we should search through her mother's room. Perhaps she's a bit more Grown Up."

Willow twinkled in agreement, and they both turned to the door, and gasped when they saw it was already open. A curly-haired and angry-looking Tootles stood in the doorway, arms crossed.

"You're Charlotte Hook." he growled, stepping forward, "You're a liar."

Charlotte blinked at him, and smirked. "Well, look at the smart little boy," she said, "Are you gonna play hero and snitch on me?"

Tootles glared at her. "Where's Peter?" he snapped, then looked around at the empty room, "Where's Wendy? What have you done with them?"

She laughed. "Stop being so _dramatic_," she said, "You're totally killing my cool here."

Tootles stared at her questioningly. "How do I kill your...?" He shook his head. "Teenagers don't make any sense!"

Charlotte glared at him. "You'd better get used to them, because in a few short hours, you're gonna be one. "

Tootles stared at her, backing out of the door. "No way," he said, "Where's Peter? I want Peter!" He shouted these last words, and Charlotte cringed, wondering if his parents had heard.

"Listen kid," Charlotte said, bowing her head and speaking with a sorrowful voice, "I didn't want to tell all your brothers but... Peter and Wendy ran away together. Without you." She watched his eyes widen in shock, before narrow with suspicion.

"You're lying!" he said.

Charlotte shook her head sadly. "And the worst part is," she said, bringing her hand to her chest and looking up at the ceiling with an agonized expression, "He Grew Up."

Tootles scowled. "No he didn't! You're a lia–"

The glass double doors to Wendy's balcony crashed open, and Peter jumped in, followed by Wendy.

"Tootles!" he exclaimed, "Are you alright? Did she hurt y–?"

"Peter?" Tootles whispered, staring at him in horror, "You've... you've grown up?"

Peter looked down at himself, than back up at Tootles, who was looking at him with pure hurt swimming in his amber eyes.

"No, Tootles, I didn't–"

Tootles shook his head and turned to Charlotte. He nodded to her and left the room.

Charlotte sneered at Peter smugly, who scowled at her in return.

"What have you told them?" he hissed, stepping closer to them.

Charlotte brought her hand to her mouth in mock surprise, batting her heavy eyelashes innocently. "Why, I've only told then the truth, Peter," she said, "That you Grew Up without telling them. That you ran away with that girl, _abandoning_ them."

She grinned at his expression, which was rather surprised and guilt-ridden, and pointed her thumb to the door. "They're leaving now."

Wendy, standing just behind Peter, gasped and ran to the door. Charlotte stepped aside politely, her smile nasty and cruel.

Wendy burst into her brothers' room and saw it was nearly empty, Willow ushering Nibs, the last one, out the window. He didn't notice her. Willow smirked at the shocked girl in the doorway and flew out with the boys.

Moments later, Charlotte zoomed past Wendy, through the bedroom, and out the window. "Race you to Neverland, darling!" she called behind her, and the sky rang with her horrible laughter.

"John!" Wendy screamed, sprinting to the window, "Michael!" She fell to her knees in front of it. A door in the room next to her slammed open, and her parents rushed in.

"Wendy, dear!" her mother cried, noticing her on the ground and falling beside her, clutching her daughter, "We've been looking everywhere! Where have you been? Darling, you're covered in dirt! And this outfit... dear, you're wearing animal skins and leaves! Where–"

"Mother..." Wendy said, standing up with incredible speed and stepping closer to the window, "I need to go. John and Michael have been kidnapped, I need to–"

"I shall call the police!" Mr. Darling exclaimed, turning to the door.

"No!" Wendy replied, "I'm the only one that can do it. I'm sorry, I have to go..."

Her mother cried out as Wendy leapt out the window, and her parents watched in amazement as she soared to the sky. "Wendy!" Mrs. Darling screamed.

Peter, who was watching from the balcony next door, sighed. "Sorry lady..." he murmured, "We can't both have her."

He flew up to where Wendy was, sitting on the minute hand of the Big Ben.

He didn't know what to say, so he merely took her hand, and she placed her head on his shoulder. "She took my brothers." she said. It wasn't a question.

Peter took her face in his hands. "We'll get them back, Wendy." he told her firmly, "I promise."

She nodded, feeling a single tear run down her cheek. Peter brushed it away and kissed her forehead.

"Peter?" she whispered, and he pulled away, looking at her, "Promise me one thing."

"Yes?" Peter said, his eyes searching her face, but her eyes were empty and expressionless.

She raised her head so that her eyes met his, and Peter was startled to see that they were suddenly bright and blazing. She stood up, pulling him up with her, and brought her lips to his ear;

"Leave Hook to me."


	12. Seeking Help From an Original Enemy

12. Seeking Help From an Original Enemy

Wendy landed gracefully, her toes meeting the smooth rock without sound. Keeping her ears alert for any sound, she poked her head through the trick waterfall, peering through the cave at the pond and meadow beyond. There she saw her brothers, The Lost Boys, and Charlotte.

They were all facing away from her, so she managed to walk through the waterfall unnoticed. She sprinted to the nearest rock against the wall of the cave, hiding behind it. The roaring of the waterfall behind her was loud enough to completely hide her loud footsteps as she ran through the short cave, darting behind various rocks. When she made it to the mouth, she hid behind another large rock and sat, watching.

"Alright you worthless lot, let's begin." Charlotte barked, pacing back and forth in front of the boys, who were all dangling helplessly in the air upside down by their ankles. It was the work of Pixie Dust that kept them in the air, but Wendy couldn't figure out why they seemed unable to move, as though there were invisible ropes bound on their feet.

John clawed at the air in front of him, bending upward and desperately swiping at his legs I the effort to free himself from whatever was holding him upside down. "Begin what?" he spat, "You said you were friends of Peter's! How dare you lie to us."

Charlotte turned, a nasty sneer curving her mouth up to her crimson cheeks. "Got something to say, do you?" she exclaimed, swinging the sword she had been holding and threatening John with it, holding it mere centimeters from his throat. His Adam's apple visibly quivered as he swallowed and sputtered in fear.

"Y-yes, I 'ave got s-something to say," he sputtered, his eyes wide and staring at the tip of the dangerously close sword, "And that is that you've got v-very lovely hair, so d-dark and voluminous really, makes your features incredibly striking..."

Her eyebrows lowered at this as she narrowed her eyes at him. After a moment, she shrugged, and fluffed her hair dramatically. "Well thank you!" she gushed, turning away from him and looking pleased. John sighed with relief.

As this was happening, Toodles noticed something. Being closest to the cave, he managed to see Wendy out of the corner of his eye. Keeping his face clean of emotion, he nudged one of the twins, who hung beside him. "I spy a Wendybird." he whispered, nodding in the direction of Wendy, who was smiling at their notice.

...

"Why am I doing this... " Peter muttered as he soared into the part of Neverland he hadn't visited in a very long time. Tinkerbell gave him a pointed look, before folding her hands together and pressing them against her left cheek, an incredibly girly gesture, before batting her eyelashes and puckering her lips.

"Oh, that's right," Peter murmured, his eyes dilating suddenly as he stared straight ahead, "this is for Wendy." He shook his head to clear his thoughts, and increased in speed, wanting very badly to get it over with. After only a few more moments, the two made it to the ship.

It was on shore now, surrounded by clams and moss. It obviously hadn't been moved in a while. "What a dump." Peter muttered, landing on the deck of the ship and examining the smudged floorboards and clutter of clothing and furniture.

He cautiously stepped over the surrounding junk and made his way to the door of the ship's cabin. The sign that used to bear the name of the owner was smudged and scratched out.

Peter opened the door slowly, allowing a thin crack of light to enter the dank and dusty room. Peter couldn't stop the coughs that emitted from his mouth from the heavy dust and thick stench as he entered. There were more clothes piles here, as well as dirty dishes stacked carelessly on every surface. A single naked lightbulb hung from the ceiling, but there was no rope or switch to turn it on. On a nearby desk, amidst the mess of clothing and dishes, there was a dusty lantern with a sliver of oil left. Peter went ahead and lit it before making his way through the mess to another door against the wall. He opened this one just as slowly.

It was completely black here, besides a faint glow from a window that had been covered by a thick curtain. Peter stepped inside, and there was no avoiding the clothing and dishes here, so he simply trod on top of them to the thick dark mass that was a king sized bed. On top of this bed was a huge pile of blankets and pillows. It was mumbling. Peter listened closely, having to press his ear against the blankets to hear correctly.

_Old._

_Alone._

_Done for._

_Old._

_Alone._

_Done for._

_Old._

_Alone._

_Done for._

"Hook?" Peter said, his own voice startling him in the quiet room. The mumbling stopped, and the pile shuddered. Then the mumbling continued, the same three things, over and over.

"Hook." Peter said louder, wrinkling his nose as he found the end of the large pile of blankets and flipped them over, tossing them aside and revealing none other than Captain Hook himself.

He didn't look too good. His eyes, which stared blindly at the ceiling, were bleary and blood-shot, and his beard and mustache were tangled with his hair, combined into a tangled black mane. His skin was pasty and pruned and dotted with bed sores. He looked as though he hadn't seen the sun in months. His mouth, barely visible amongst the tangle of facial hair, moved endlessly, murmuring the same thing over and over again. "Old. Alone. Done for."

"Hook, get up." Peter said, not unkindly, setting the fading lantern on the cluttered bedside table and shaking Hook's shoulder in the attempt to wake him from his trance. Hook jumped, his whole body starting in shock. He blinked furiously as though he had something large in his eye, before turning his head slowly and looking at Peter with glazed eyes.

"Pan?" he croaked, his eyes focusing and unfocusing continuously.

"Hook," Peter responded, taking his arm and sitting the dazed pirate up. He could not believe he was about to say this. He took a deep breath, wincing at the thought.

"We need your help."


	13. The Battle Between the Lost Girls

13. The Battle Between the Lost Girls

Wendy watched as each boy whispered into the next's ear, before each of them were sneaking subtle glances at her. Wendy bit her lip, trying to think of a plan, but all she could do was wait for Peter. Hopefully talking Charlotte out of her plans with the aid of her uncle may help. She really didn't want this to end in violence, as her fury at the kidnapping of her brothers had cooled slightly, resulting in her regaining her logic and thoughtfulness.

Toodles noticed Wendy's uncertain face, and gestured to the twins. They nodded in unison, grinning.

"Say twinny," the first said to the other, turning to his brother with mock excitement on his face, "Did you see that fly by? That figure up there?"

Charlotte's head snapped up, and she set aside the vials she had been mixing to listen. Hovering over the waters and sitting Indian style, she watched the boys curiously.

"That I did, brother, that I did." the second said, narrowing his eyes at the trees that surrounded them, before widening them in shock, "Why, that's Peter Pan, that is!" He waved his hands at the imaginary Peter. "Oi! Peter!"

Wendy gasped and searched the skies, and saw nothing. That's when she realized it was a ruse. Charlotte, however, jumped up eagerly, allowing the vials of potion to drop into the water, spilling the contents that would turn the boys into teenagers.

"Peter?" she exclaimed, flitting about, searching the branches, before flying over the wall of trees altogether. "Yoohoo! Peter?" she called, her voice carrying over to the boys and fading,before she disappeared into the distance.

"Great job, boys!" Wendy called, flying over to them and examining their feet, "You all get as many sweets as you want once we get out of this." As the boys cheered, Wendy discovered that they were in fact hanging from their ankles by invisible ropes. "This'll be difficult to untie," she murmured ruefully, beginning Toodles' knot, "I do wish I had that powder stuff Tink used to free Peter and I."

She had untied Toodles, the twins, and John, and was just starting on Michael's before Charlotte reappeared once more, and rather suddenly. Wendy gasped and turned her back to the boys, four of them in the water, and took a protective stance in front of them.

"Well, look who has been awfully _naughty_," Charlotte said smugly, unsheathing her thin and incredibly sharp sword, "Darling, you must be punished." She stepped forward, and froze dumb when Wendy started laughing.

"Why're you laughing?" Charlotte snapped, lowering her sword hesitantly as Wendy's face reddened and her giggles increased in volume. Charlotte was a bit discouraged now, and she was just beginning to think that this girl may be a bit mad when Wendy cleared her throat and straightened her face.

"You see, Charlotte," Wendy said, grinning radiantly and spreading her arms as though preparing herself for a bear hug, "Nothing up my sleeve. Oops!" She gracefully slid a large, thick sword from the sleeve of the fur blouse she wore and brandished it cleverly, "I suppose there is."

Charlotte gaped. "How did you–?" she sputtered, before pulling herself together and barely blocking the swing of Wendy's sword with her own. Their swords pressed tightly together, rubbing together and making an odd screeching sound. Wendy brought her lips to Charlotte's left ear.

"You'd be surprised what you can do with Faerie Magick."

Charlotte snarled and threw herself backwards, before dashing forward and thrusting her sword at Wendy, who blocked it with her own with obvious ease. "Stop fighting back!" Charlotte demanded, pulling her sword back for another blow, "you're not supposed to fight back, you're just a _dainty girl_!"

"You've forgotten one thing!" Wendy shouted back, easily blocking this strike and giving her own, "I'm just a dainty girl _in love_!"

"He doesn't love you, you know." Charlotte said, her voice taking on a sudden confident and smug tone. Wendy ignored this, knowing it was just another trick, and continued blocking and striking. Charlotte smiled nastily. "He hasn't told you, has he?" she cackled, throwing Wendy slightly off balance with a tough swing of her sword. Wendy quickly regained her position, and they fought on.

"He's told me everything!" Wendy insisted, though her heart sank slightly. Charlotte laughed at this as though it was the greatest joke she'd heard in a long time. "Please," she said, lowering her sword, before grasping hold of the collar of her purple pirate's blouse and lowering it. Resting against her cleavage, a smooth acorn laid proudly, strung around her neck with a bit of recognizable vine.

Wendy gasped and lowered her sword. The acorn looked just as her's did, only it didn't have the letter P encased in a heart drawn on it, as she had done herself later. And the thin strip of vine tied to it looked as though it had been peeled from the very vines Peter wore. "He– he kissed you?" she sputtered, and the sword fell into the clear water with a small splash. Charlotte cackled and took this chance to strike. Wendy flinched as Charlotte dashed toward her in her moment of weakness, raising her sword over her head.

Charlotte, Wendy, and the onlooking Lost Boys gasped in unison. Peter grinned, blocking Charlotte's sword with a short dagger, having darted in front of Wendy just in time. "Not on my watch, Hook!" he growled, and swung his dagger at her sword, knocking it out of her hand and into the water below.

Charlotte's eyebrows rose, and she grinned maliciously. She took a step through air towards Peter, swinging her curvy hips a bit more than necessary, and brushed his chest once more, making her fingers walk up his torso before resting her hand over his heart. "Oh Peter," she sighed, "you might as well tell Wendy all that's happened while she's been gone."

Peter gave her a puzzled expression, but before he could respond, there was a shout from below.

"Charlotte!" Captain Hook called from the mouth of the cave. He had managed to change from the stained and filthy nightclothes he had been wearing into a ruffled maroon pirate coat, and had attempted to comb through his tangled mess of hair. His eyes were clearer, though his skin was still whiter than paper. Still, as he brandished his infamous hook at his niece, he looked almost like his own self.

"What are you doing, girl?" he shouted, "Get down here." Each word was oddly pronounced, with a strange tone to it.

Without thinking, Charlotte found herself obeying, her head bowed slightly as a misbehaving child's would.

"Yes Uncle J–" she began, before shaking her head in bewilderment. "Wait, I don't have to listen to _you_." Hook glared at her pointedly, before allowing his gaze to soften. "Come, child," he said kindly, "Be my niece once more. We'll be a family again."

Charlotte blinked, before nodding once. "Right." she murmured, and grinned, and the two turned towards Peter. "I'm a changed man, Pan!" Hook called, before turning and disappearing into the waterfall. Charlotte grinned. "No hard feelings, eh mate?" she called, and followed her uncle.

Peter stared in shock. "What?" he shouted to know one in particular, "What exactly just happened? I don't– That was too–" He shook his head. "Where's Wendy?"

Momentarily forgetting the odd and unrealistic events that had just occurred, he looked around frantically for Wendy, who had mysteriously disappeared. Tinkerbell twinkled in alarm, and pointed at a spot in the trees not far from where Hook and Charlotte had vanished. There Wendy laid, completely unconscious.

"Wendy," Peter murmured, landing beside her. Wendy stirred and moaned softly, before turning and looking at Peter. She didn't quite meet his eyes, but Peter took no notice. "Peter!" Wendy exclaimed, embracing him. The Lost Boys cheered, and all gathered round, clutching each other tightly.

Tinkerbell sat on Wendy's shoulder, smiling up at Wendy's face. She felt her own face fall when she realized something was wrong. Wendy's eyes were rather dark and dull. Shrugging, she assumed Wendy was merely exhausted.

None of them heard the muffled cries of Wendy, the real Wendy, on the other side of the waterfall, he mouth covered by the unhooked hand of Captain Hook, the "changed man."


	14. Not the Right Darling

14. Not The Right Darling

"I'm so glad you're okay." Peter whispered into Wendy's hair.

Charlotte rolled her eyes at this, but hugged him back. "I'm glad you are too," she replied, trying very hard to keep Wendy's subtle accent and kind tone of voice.

"Say, Wendy, tell us a story!" one of the Lost Boys said, and they all dropped the toys and food they had been holding and sat around Wendy and Peter, their celebration forgotten.

"Uh, a story?" Charlotte repeated, examining the Lost Boys with disgust. She snorted. "Not on your life, kid."

She watched his face fall, before his eyes narrowed suspiciously, and she quickly backtracked.

"Um, I meant I won't _tell_ you a story, I'll _read_ you one!" she said enthusiastically, "Where are your books?"

The fat and annoying one crossed his arms. "We don't got no books, reading's for dummies!" he retorted. Charlotte blinked. "Yeah, I agree with you there." she sighed.

Michael stared. "Wendy..." he said, "You love to read."

Charlotte stammered. "Well, y-yeah, I do, I just got a headache from, ya know, today..."

Toodles cocked his head to the side. "You sure are talking funny, Wendy," he observed, "I guess you should go lie down." He watched her face lighten in relief, and quickly added, "After you have some of the trifle. It's your favorite food, after all."

"Of course." Charlotte said, and didn't notice Toodles' skeptical and knowing look, "I'll do that."

...

"What happened at the cave?" Peter whispered, careful not to wake the others, even though it was a slim chance, as the other boys were all in separate rooms blocked by thick curtains, not to mention they could all easily sleep through an apocalypse.

"Oh, well, she had tied the boys up with some Invisible Bind– I mean with some Faerie Magic I'd never seen before..." Charlotte said, trying to stay in character, "And she was making some weird age stuff that would make them older." She hoped this was at least close to what Wendy would say.

Peter nodded. "I'm glad I got there in time," he said, "It's a good thing I decided to trust Hook. Oh, the cleverness of me." He laughed at this old memory, expecting her to do the same. When she didn't, he figured she must not have remembered him ever saying that, and this disappointed him a little, as he certainly could remember everything she'd ever said to him, having gone through their conversations in his head countless times in the years they had been apart.

Charlotte, unsure how to respond to this and unable to sense the sentimentality of his words, instead turned on her side so she was facing him. She pressed her hand to his chest, bringing it up to his shoulders, then his neck, then his face.

Peter's eyes closed as they always did at Wendy's touch, but his eyebrows also lowered, as there was something wrong.

He couldn't quite identify what was so different about the way Wendy pressed her lips to his. She did it so forcefully, almost hungrily, with none of the gentleness of before. Peter made a surprised sound against her lips, and yet she seemed to take no notice, instead tugging at the vine against his chest in the effort to pull him closer to her.

"Wendy," he said in a muffled voice, taking hold of her shoulders firmly and pulling her away from him, "What's going on with you? There's something wrong."

Charlotte bit her lip, looking incredibly pleased. That was soon replaced by irritation. "Now Peter, don't you see?" she breathed, leaning in once more, "everything is right."

Peter backed up, standing up and hopping off of the cot, staring. "Wendy, there's something... you know I can't... I don't..." he stuttered for a moment, clearing his throat. "I think you need to rest." he said finally, straightening the the ivy on his chest.

Charlotte huffed, sitting up on her knees and bending forward so that her chest was much more prominent. "Resting is the last thing I want to do." she said pointedly, giving him a very un-Wendy-ish look.

Peter had backed farther away, shaking his head, when suddenly the curtain nearest to them was pushed aside, revealing Toodles in the doorway.

"You stay away from him, Charlotte!" Toodles shouted, stepping forward menacingly. He then added as an afterthought; "Wendy hates trifle! Her favorite food is strawberries!"

Peter looked from Toodles to Wendy, who was rolling her eyes and dangling her feet over the edge of the cot, crossing and uncrossing her legs with annoyance. "Charlotte?" he choked, staring at her.

"Do it, Tink!" Toodles shouted suddenly, and Tinkerbell zoomed through the doorway, whizzing around Charlotte's head and pummeling her with lime green powder. She then hovered above Peter's shoulder, watching the effects smugly.

Peter watched in horror as Wendy's face distorted, the lips thinning, the hair darkening, the chest growing larger and the tips of the ears thinning to a point. Though her eyes were lined with black and the eyelashes were thickening, her stormy grey eyes stayed the same, and Peter wondered how he hadn't noticed them earlier, as Wendy's were such a bright blue.

"Hello darling." Charlotte giggled, waving her fingers at Peter. She was now completely herself. Peter gaped, before turning and placing his hands on his knees, bending over and gagging. "Y-you kissed me!" he cried in disgust, snatching a pitcher of water off a nearby wooden table and taking a large gulp, gargling it in his mouth and spitting repeatedly.

Charlotte threw her head back and cackled. "And to think I was so close," she sighed, shrugging and standing, "It would have been wonderful, you know."

Peter shuddered. "What have you done with Wendy?" Peter snarled, leaping forward with surprising speed and pinning Charlotte against the wall. Charlotte giggled, showing obvious enjoyment. "Why, she's under the kind and hospitable care of my dear old uncle," she said sweetly.

"What is he doing to her?" he said, loosening his grip on Charlotte's shoulders as his heart sped in fear.

"Well, you know how mermaids are." Charlotte said casually, "Quite feisty, they are."

...

...

...

_****Side note: Hey guys, I just wanted to say, thank you so much for everything. Every time I'm notified that I've gotten a positive review or new story favorite, I'm just struck with shock and disbelief. I recently got some very harsh and rude criticism from what I thought to be my my friend about my writing, and I'll shamefully admit this lowered my self-esteem quite a bit, as well as my nerve to post stories on this website. But then I did, and now I feel great, I've never been told such kind things before. Sorry for the gushing and subtle sob story, I just wanted to express how thankful I am to be told that I can actually write something worth reading, and about my favorite story, no less. I love Peter Pan, and hope that this doesn't contradict the story in any way. I also apologize for any misspellings or grammar errors I've missed, I usually catch those rather quickly. Thanks again, and I sincerely hope you enjoy what you have and will read! :) **_

_**-Calista**_


	15. Tick Tock

15. Tick Tock

"What a shame, such a young girl dying so soon." Captain Hook said with mock sorrow, clicking his tongue as though it were some unavoidable misfortune beyond his control.

Wendy kicked hopelessly, the tips of her toes skimming across the top of the water, sending small droplets of water around her. "Let me go!" she exclaimed, twisting and turning, but it was futile; The same invisible rope that held her brothers by there ankles was now bound tightly around her waist and hands.

Hook chuckled, wiping a fake tear from his eye to emphasize how funny he found this. "I spy a mermaid." he said suddenly, excitement evident in his face. Wendy turned her head, and there was one, but it was far in the distance, only visible because it's scales glimmered brightly against the strong milky moonlight. Wendy knew it could easily dart over here in a matter of minutes.

"Oh, I'm done for..." she groaned to herself, bowing her head and allowing her hair to fall over her face. She was giving up. As she went over her own words in her head, a lightbulb went off above her head, and her face snapped up as she realized that she may as well have a bit of fun with Hook.

"You know, Hook, this island here, this one with the big skull on it?" She nodded at the large rock formation in the near perfect shape of a skull, "It sure is _old_.

Hook visibly winced, but nodded. "That it is, my dear." he replied.

"And this water!" she continued, touching it with her toes, "Hardly anything inhabits it, besides a few fish and mermaids. I suppose it feels... _Alone_."

This time Hook actually flinched. "Mhmm..." he murmured, his lips pressed tightly together as his face paled considerably.

Wendy grinned, pleased at this reaction, before shrugging casually. "All in all, I'd say this whole area is absolutely... _Done for._"

"Stop!" Hook suddenly shouted, drawing his sword and pointing it upwards at Wendy's heart, "Stop that right now!"

Wendy stared at his sword without fear, and began chanting in a soft voice, "Old. Alone. _Done for_. Old. Alone–" She was interrupted by a rather odd sound.

Hook, who had been clutching the sides of his head in the attempt to muffle her words, now widened his eyes in even more fear as the familiar sound of ticking enveloped the two. Wendy smiled. "Bad idea, being so close to water, isn't it Hook?" she said smartly, as the ticking grew louder.

Hook shrieked, hopping from foot to foot as a young girl would after discovering a spider on the floor. "It's come back! It's come back!" he screamed, "It took me hand, then it took me foot! It's after me head now!"

Wendy glanced downward, and sure enough, a thick piece of wood had replaced Hook's foot. She supposed this had been what happened the last time she had visited.

Hook howled in fear, hopping into a rowboat and fumbling with the oars. "You're leaving me here?" Wendy exclaimed, kicking and twisting against her bindings in fury, "You coward! You codfish! I've been braver in one day than you've been in your whole life!"

He ignored this, taking the oars and rowing furiously towards shore, leaving Wendy there to fume and glance around herself anxiously. She breathed in sharply when something moved to the right of her, looking around blindly as the only light source, the moon, was covered by clouds.

"Who's there?" she whispered, and bowed her head once more, hopeless. It was a mermaid no doubt, intent on drowning her. Or maybe it's the crocodile, she thought, as the ticking grew louder. She squeezed her eyes shut.

She watched her own eyelids redden, as though she had looked directly into the sun with closed eyes. The ticking was practically in her left ear. Hesitantly, Wendy opened her eyes to see Tinkerbell, hovering inches from her face and grinning radiantly, before she flit behind her and began fumbling with the rope around her waste. Wendy gasped as Tink's movement revealed Peter's face, smiling brightly, inches from her own face, his green eyes gleaming. "Wendy." he said softly, and showed obvious happiness from saying her name. He held a small alarm clock in his hand, which ticked incessantly. That explained the noise.

"Peter." Wendy breathed, before gasping in shock as Tink's untying resulted in her falling to the deep water below. Peter caught her just before she hit the surface, and Wendy wrapped her arms around his neck, clutching him tightly and burying her face in his shoulder, finally allowing the tears that had been threatening her all day to fall.

"Peter I'm so sorry," she whispered into his chest, "It was my idea to ask Hook for help and it's my fault Charlotte went back with you and I'm just so sorry..."

"Wendy," Peter said softly, "none of this was your fault. I went along with the Hook plan even when I knew he'd never change, and I didn't notice the obvious signs that Charlotte wasn't you..." He clutched her tighter, "But you're okay now."

Wendy pulled away from his chest to look at him, and noticed they were about a mile above thick forest, Peter having been flying as they were talking. "What exactly did she do?" she murmured guiltily, "she didn't hurt anyone, did she?"

Peter cleared his throat. "N- no, we're all fine," he said, deciding not to go into details, "It was mainly the way she spoke that was so unlike you, that's all. We caught her though, she's back at the tree."

"Oh, what about Hook?" Wendy cried out suddenly, "He got away..."

Peter laughed, clutching her tighter as they landed in front of the Lost Boys' tree.

"I wouldn't say that."


	16. Codfish

16. Codfish

The boat reached shore, and Hook leapt out, sprinting through the sand. His peg leg hit a rock, and he crashed to the ground, his mouth filling with sand. "Damn leg!" he choked, spitting and coughing.

A sound nearby made him freeze. It sounded like a very large animal. He scrambled to his feet, unsheathing his sword and swinging it wildly in every direction. "Go away!" he cried, "Leave me be!"

He lowered his sword and grinned maliciously when one of the Lost Boys, the fat one, stumbled through the bushes, bumping into random objects blindly, as he couldn't see in the dark.

"Hello?" Curly called, waving his hands in front of his face in the attempt to feel his way around. He bumped right into Hook, and in the moonlight saw the snarling face of Captain Hook.

Curly stammered. "Duh– duh– duh– well, hiya Hook!" he stuttered, backing up.

Hook slid his sword back into its sheath, grinning widely. He grabbed Curly by the neck of his bear suit, pulling him up with very much effort, as Curly was rather heavy. "Well, look what we got 'ere!" he exclaimed, pleased, "A stowaway!"

Curly swiped at Hook's hand, kicking his feet in the air. "Hey, geroff me, lemme go!" he growled, attempting to bite Hook's other hand. He waved his hands. "Now boys!" he called to the bushes.

Hook dropped the struggling boy in shock as half a dozen other boys came running after him, each holding sticks and rocks.

"No no no!" Hook howled, scrambling back to the rowboat and finding that two twin boys had taken his oars and were threatening him with it, giggling with glee. "Hey twinny," the first said, "Ten points if you can hit 'im in the belly!"

"Fifty if you can get 'im in 'is noggin!" the second exclaimed, and Hook gave a cowardly scream as the Lost Boys advanced.


	17. A Conversation With Charlotte Hook

17. A Conversation With Charlotte Hook

"You'd best let me go!" Charlotte screeched, struggling against the vines that tied her to the tree trunk, "If you don't, I'll... I'll..."

"Do your worst, Charlotte," Peter challenged, "I dare you!" Charlotte glowered at him with utter hatred, before turning her gaze upon Wendy.

"You, girl!" she said, "Uh... Willow? Wendy! Wendy, you see good in everyone, right?"

Wendy glared at her, turning her face into Peter's chest. "You don't have to listen to her." Peter whispered into her ear, then turned back to Charlotte, his gaze hardening. "Charlotte, I'd hold my tongue if I were you. My Lost Boys are out to get your uncle right now. You've lost."

Charlotte made an animal-like sound, snarling and screeching and slamming her back against the wall of the tree. Peter rolled his eyes and guided Wendy through the nearest doorway, closing the curtain behind them and silencing Charlotte's protests and vulgar curses.

While Peter worked on a fire in the neat homemade fireplace, Wendy walked over to the floor-to-ceiling length shard of glass that allowed her to see her reflection.

Through the glazed and cracked mirror, Wendy saw a girl who looked as though she had just been through years of difficult work. Her usual smooth hair was tangled and bushy, hanging annoyingly in her face and filled with leaves and twigs. Her face was smudged with dirt, her knees stained with grass, various areas of her body dotted with bruises, cuts, and scrapes. Her fur skirt, which had originally reached just below her knees, was now so torn it reached only her thighs in thick tatters. The sleeves and bottom of the ivy shirt had been destroyed as well, leaving some kind of unflattering and horribly scanty tube-top.

"Er, Peter?" Wendy said, turning to where Peter was feeding a spark several bits of wood, resulting in an immediate roaring fire.

"Yes?" he replied kindly, turning to face her, and seemed to take no notice of her wild hair and tattered clothing. All he saw was what he really wanted to see; Her sky eyes looking back at him, her lips smiling for him.

Wendy gestured to her rags. "Haven't got any more clothing, have you?" Peter looked her over, and laughed. "You look like a true Lost Girl," he said, going to a nearby woven basket and rifling through the items inside. He seemed to realize what he had just said, and blushed. "Except you're far too smart to fall from your crib, of course."

He brought up a long, thick vine of ivy with wide golden leaves, a large bit of brown fir, and a few scraps of leather. "Er..." he murmured, examining the empty basket, "This is all we've got." Wendy examined the contents, biting her lip. "I suppose I could work with this." she said thoughtfully, gathering the random materials, "Now, you haven't got a washroom, have you?"

Peter stared. "Washroom?" he said blankly.

Wendy nodded. "Yes, a washroom," she repeated, "For bathing?"

Peter stared a moment, before wrinkling his nose. "Bathing?" he said skeptically, "We don't 'bathe.' We swim, in the creek or in the river."

Wendy sighed. "I can't go all the way to the creek at this time of night, it's too far."

Peter shrugged. "Well, we've got a faucet, and we've got this big bowl thingie."

"Bowl thingie?" Wendy repeated, and Peter nodded, taking her hand and leading her through another doorway, showing a room with a faucet in the wall, some clean dishes stacked on a tree stump, and a large tub in the corner full of sticks and twigs. "This is a wash basin!" Wendy exclaimed gratefully, running over to it.

Peter shrugged once more. "The twins stole it from Hook's ship. We use it to hold firewood, but if it's really meant for 'bathing', then help yourself."

Wendy smiled, setting the odd bits of fabric aside and running over to hug him. He hugged her back without hesitation. "I will be done in a moment." she whispered in his ear, before giving him a short, gentle thimble on his lips, causing him to glow slightly.

"Alright." he replied weakly, and backed through the doorway, closing the curtain behind him.

...

Peter walked back into the room Charlotte was in, and crossed his arms in front of her. "Now, what do I do with _you_?" he muttered. Charlotte grinned wickedly, and stopped struggling against the vines around her. "Darling, there's _plenty_ you can do with me," she purred.

Peter made a disgusted noise in the back of his throat. "Tink, I need you!" he called, and Tinkerbell darted into the room a mere second later. She hovered in front of Charlotte, placing her thumbs on either side of her own face and wiggling her fingers, sticking her tongue out. Charlotte hissed, and Tinkerbell shrugged, flying over to Peter.

"Make a wall," Peter told her, without looking away from Charlotte. Tinkerbell nodded, and began making complicated and precise movements with her minuscule fingers through the air, flicking her wrists and allowing small gold sparks to shoot from her fingertips, hitting all three doorways in the room and leaving a visible iridescent wall that shimmered.

"You're lucky I'm being nice," Peter growled, untying Charlotte's ropes, "I think you should sleep standing up, but _Wendy_ thinks..." He shook his head, allowing the ropes to fall to the floor.

Charlotte flew over to the corner of the room, laying on a pile of blankets and furs, her hands behind her head. "That girl really needs to learn not to trust me." she remarked, sitting up and folding her legs Indian style.

Peter shook his head, sitting in a wooden chair across from her. Tinkerbell made herself comfortable on his shoulder, keeping a close eye on Charlotte. "Wendy sees good in everyone," Peter said, and his voice softened considerably once he'd said her name, "She'd be horrified if I made you sleep tied up. At least she let me put up these walls."

Charlotte turned, knocking her knuckles against the transparent wall that filled the doorway and wincing when it gave her a subtle shock. "She's odd, that one," she muttered, rubbing her knuckle with her other hand.

"She's beautiful," Peter said, crossing his arms and legs and sitting back, glaring at her. Charlotte snorted. "Yeah right," she scoffed, "Messed up hair, skinny body, huge eyes." She examined her own fingernails conceitedly. "Not my idea of beautiful."

"She's perfect." Peter snapped, "Just because she doesn't wear scanty clothes and swing her hips about, doesn't mean she's ugly. It's like..." He trailed off, struggling for words. "It's like her kindness seeps through her skin and enhances her features."

Charlotte's eyes widened slightly. "Wow," she laughed, "Poetic much? That's a bit too mushy for my taste. You never said anything like that before that Age Potion."

Peter bowed his head, and didn't respond. Going over the words he had just said, he realized how Grown Up he sounded. The potion wasn't supposed to affect the mind, but Peter was starting to wonder. He was saying and thinking things he had never even considered before.

Charlotte noticed his conflicted face as he struggled to figure out what exactly was happening, and smirked. "I'm not for the whole 'love' thing," she continued, "There's something much more... _fun_ than that." Peter glowered at her, and didn't dare ask her what exactly that was. Probably something horribly vulgar.

There was the sudden sound of running water, and Charlotte's ears visibly pricked up. "Is she using the wash basin?" she asked, her smirk broadening.

"You know what that is too?" Peter said, dumbstruck that this was a thing other people really did use.

Charlotte rolled her eyes and continued, "Don't you get what that means? Wendy is as naked as a tree in Winter, and she is _in your home..."_

Peter hopped from his chair, pressing his palms firmly against his ears and humming. "I do not need to know this, Charlotte," he said loudly, unable to hear himself through his hands, "So just stop, I can't hear you." His cheeks were incredibly crimson.

Charlotte laughed, kicking her feet in glee. As she went through a fit of giggles, Peter noticed something tied to a thin strand of vine wrapped around her neck, having fallen out of her maroon blouse.

"Is that...?" he exclaimed, rushing forward and taking the acorn in his hand. It was the same one he had given to Wendy on that first night, his kiss. He turned it slightly, and it appeared as though something had been scratched out.

"Did you tell her I...?" Peter choked, looking up at Charlotte, who was grinning maliciously, "Did you tell her I kissed you?"

"Yup," she replied gleefully,

"And she believed me, too."


	18. Stolen Thimble

18. Stolen Thimble

Wendy shivered as she stepped out of the bathtub, the water having gone cold long ago. She giggled at her pruny fingers, but felt her face fall as an unwanted thought intruded into her mind, circling her brain repeatedly and shrieking; _Peter kissed Charlotte!_

She shook her head, clearing the thoughts away. Her heart a bit heavier, she stepped over the mismatched bits of random objects Peter had given her, planning on using them tomorrow. She found a large stack of furs in the corner and wrapped one around herself, using it as a towel.

She poked her head through the curtain, making sure the main room was empty, before tiptoeing out and grabbing the nightgown and underclothing she had arrived in. Feeling extremely tired once her old nightdress was back on, she would have liked to curl up in the cot or canopy and drift to sleep.

In fact, she was on the verge of doing this, having taken a step towards the inviting cot covered in warm furs, when she saw something out of the corner of her eye. Grabbing the sword off the ground that she had earlier pulled from her own sleeve, she turned quickly, pointing her it at the figure.

Peter's shadow jumped in fear, putting its hands up in the air and visibly trembling against the wall. Wendy sighed, lowering her sword. "Now, what exactly are _you_ doing?" she said sternly, and the shadow bowed its head, folding its hands behind its back guiltily.

Wendy bit back a grin at the shadow's shame. "Well, come along," she said with a chuckle, gesturing for it to follow her, "Let's get you back to Peter."

...

"You give that here, Charlotte." Peter said through clenched teeth, holding out his hand.

Charlotte yanked at the acorn, breaking the string around her neck, and swung it in a side-lasso motion lazily, smirking at him.

"Come get it then," she challenged, and in a fast motion, she knotted it back around her neck and shot towards the high ceiling, landing on a tree branch and hiding among the leaves.

"Charlotte!" Peter roared, and followed after her. It went on like this for at least five minutes, Charlotte snickering and flitting about, Peter chasing her, losing patience as every second passed.

It was at the base of the tree that Peter caught hold of her arm, landing them both on the ground. He snatched at the acorn, gripping it tightly, and was just about to pull and break it from around her neck when she lunged forward, kissing him fiercely.

Peter hardly had a chance to react when the curtain was pushed aside. "Peter, look who I found!" Wendy said, looking back at the shadow and bumping into the force field set up for Charlotte. "Ow!" she exclaimed, turning to face the room and rubbing her forehead, "I completely forgot that was ther–"

She inhaled sharply at the sight of Peter, gripping Charlotte's necklace tightly, being kissed by her. Wendy's hand shot to her heart as she exhaled in shock, tears forming around her eyes.

Peter pushed Charlotte away and stared at Wendy in horror as she turned on heel and sprinted back into the main room. "No, Wendy!" he exclaimed, flying forward and shouting in pain as he smashed into the forcefield, "Wendy, no, come back!" He pounded furiously on the wall, receiving a small shock each time that increased the pain in his head.

Charlotte laughed at his struggles, falling backwards onto the cot and crossing her arms behind her head again.

He ignored her, pacing back and forth with his hands on either side of his head, seemingly unable to tell Tinkerbell to take down the wall.

"That was a crazy coincidence, wasn't it?" Charlotte said cheerfully, watching Peter groan into his hands, "I didn't even know that girl would show up. I just thought I'd snag another kiss from you before you lock me and my uncle up forever." As she laughed gaily, Peter walked stiffly to the nearby wall and began thunking his forehead against it, his face dull and expressionless. Finding this comical, Charlotte had tears streaming down her face from laughter.

...

Wendy stomped through the hole of the enormous tree-fort and walked through the woods. Tink flew beside her, eyeing the bag Wendy held. "It's the fabrics and other things," Wendy explained in a choked whisper, "I can't stay in this nightgown forever."

Tinkerbell looked around the pitch black forest, and gave Wendy a questioning look that clearly said, _What now?_

Wendy bit her lip, and felt a burning tear sting her cheek. "I'm going home." she murmured.

Tinkerbell stared in alarm, but Wendy paid her no notice, staring at the ground with little expression on her face, her feet moving forward weakly. Finally, Tinkerbell nodded, and lightly tossed her own dust on Wendy, allowing her to fly.

Wendy looked back at the tree, which glowed warmly, and took off over the woods and into the sky. The sky that didn't look so pretty anymore.


	19. Willow's Mission

19. Willow's Mission

"This has happened once before, except now there's ten of them. It's Darling, that's D-a-r-l– no they're not on drugs! Who the bloody hell do you think I am? No, wait– hello? Hello?"

Mr. Darling slammed the telephone back into the wall and walked back upstairs to see Mrs. Darling sobbing into a handkerchief, clutching the windowsill of the boys room. She hadn't left that spot since Wendy had jumped from the window.

"Mary... " Mr. Darling began cautiously, "You don't suppose she just... she just landed on something, some bushes perhaps, and ran?"

Mrs. Darling glared up at him. "I told you what I saw, George," she said sternly to her husband, "she _flew!"_

George peered through the window into the silent night.

The clock above the beds read 11:57.

George's eyes widened slightly. "Mary..." he said with an alarmed tone, staring at the sky.

Mary ignored this, and continued to clutch her handkerchief.

"Mary," George repeated, louder this time, "Mary dear, there's something–"

He cried out in shock and pulled his wife away from the window, as something rather small flew through the window and hovered before them.

"What– what is _that?" _George exclaimed, staring at the giggling Faerie in front if them.

The Faerie smiled, twirling around before them, leaving a trail of glimmering dust. She pointed up at the sky, and made a cradling motion with her arms.

George looked puzzled, but Mary's mouth opened in shock as her mind easily translated this; _Your babies are up there._

"George," she murmured, standing and looking thoughtfully at the Faerie, "she wants to help us."

George looked at his wife as one would look at a crazy person. "You're going to listen to this... To this _thing?"_

Mary smiled at the Faerie. "I think I'll follow my intuition," she said to him, before directing her words at the lovely creature in front of her, "Will you take me to my children?"

The Faerie nodded, and Mrs. darling turned excitedly to her husband.

Reaching into her satchel for her Invisible Binding, a shadow crossed over Willow the Faerie's face as she grinned darkly.

...

Peter woke sitting in the same position he had unknowingly fallen asleep in; Sitting in a chair, his head clutched in his hands. He stood, and his body creaked and groaned in punishment for the uncomfortable position he had slept in. He stretched, and turned miserably to the corner, where Charlotte slept soundly.

Charlotte's eyes widened in shock when Peter slammed her into the wall, clutching the front of her blouse as he held her still, pressing her against the rough bark.

"Well, good morning to you too," she said pleasantly, as though she weren't being glowered at by a furious boy holding her threateningly to a wall.

"Listen to me Charlotte," Peter growled through grit teeth, "You have got to stop doing this stuff. I refuse to deal with you bothering me like this!" He glared at her sternly. "I do not love you."

Charlotte scowled, and swiped at the hand that held her shirt, allowing her to fall gracefully back to the ground. She shoves past Peter and stood with her back facing him for a moment.

"So now what?" she asked, spinning around to face him, her voice oddly shrill, "You go, you explain to your Wendy, she comes back to you, and you all live happily ever after. Well, _where does that leave me?"_ She punched the bark wall hard, but showed little sign of pain, "Poor little orphan Charlie, left alone just like her uncle."

Peter stared. He forgot he and his Lost Boys used to call her Charlie... Back when they were all friends.

Charlotte laughed bitterly at his expression. "You can go run off with your Wendybird," she snapped, "Just make sure you'll lock me up in a place where I'll never have to see you looking at her the way you do. It only reminds me that nobody will ever look at me like that."

Peter blinked, stunned at her speech, and sighed. "Charlotte," he said helplessly, deciding something, "I– I won't lock you up, as long as you _swear–"_

Charlotte burst into a fit of laughter, cutting Peter off. The laughter was unpleasant, maniacal, almost a cackle. "That's right," she said through hysterical giggles, "You won't lock me up." She grinned, still laughing, at something behind him.

Peters mouth dropped at the sight of Charlotte's faerie, Willow, smiled smugly at him. The forcefield in the doorway was gone; She had taken it down. Peter had little time to react before something hard hit the back of his head, and his vision doubled.

"Tink..." he mumbled dazedly, as the floor rushed toward him, "Wendy..."

...

Wendy woke with a start, a yelp of fear escaping her throat. She was laying at the mouth of the cave she and Peter had visited when she had first gotten here. Though it had only been less than a week ago that she had arrived, it felt like a lifetime.

She lifted her head from the satchel full of fabrics she had been laying on, and saw Tinkerbell in the exact same position a few inches away, staring up at her.

"Did you feel that too?" Wendy whispered quietly, though the cave and pond/meadow beyond were completely empty. Tinkerbell nodded, strands of her platinum hair dangling in her elfin face.

"Right." Wendy said firmly, sitting up and fumbling with the satchel, "I need you to make something out of these;" She held out the vine, leather, and furs to Tinkerbell, "Can you do that?"

Tink, who wore a cleverly cut dress made from a silk leaf, a pair of boots twisted from blades of grass, and had her hair pulled up into a stylishly messy bun laced with bits of flower petals, nodded confidently. She got to work immediately, pulling a minuscule needle from behind her ear and flitting around the odd objects Wendy had given to her.

"Thanks, Tink." Wendy said gratefully, looking over at the rising sun, "But please, hurry." Her heart pounded in slight panic as she uttered the next words; "Peter is in trouble."


End file.
